NIA arrests absconding accused in Thiruvananthapuram gold smuggling case
Kochi: One of the absconding accused in the controversial Thiruvananthapuram gold smuggling case was arrested by National Investigation Agency (NIA) on June 2.
The case pertains to the alleged smuggling of gold involving diplomatic baggage in 2020.
The arrested person, Sidhiqul Akbar of Malappuram, was on the run since 2020. NIA intercepted him when he arrived in Kerala via flight.
He was taken into custody based on a tip-off.
The accused was remanded in judicial custody on Thursday when he was produced before the NIA court after the expiry of a three-day NIA custody.
Sidhiqul was the 15th accused in the case. He was allegedly a key link in the racket involved in smuggling gold from the UAE to Thiruvananthapuram using diplomatic baggage. He was made an accused in the case in Dec 2020. Ramzan Parancherry, another absconding accused, was arrested in Feb when he arrived from the UAE. At least four more accused persons are still at large.
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